At a recent conference, I introduced the work of Robert Cialdini, author of Influence and Presuasion. We were talking about how to motivate nonprofit board members, and I shared two possible approaches to moving a board member to raise money: Option 1: You are on this board because you care about this mission. WeContinue reading “Manipulation or Influence?”
Category Archives: Adult learning
Habits and House of Cards: How to bring thinking about habits into a New Year
House of Cards left a legacy in our house, #metoo movement aside. A few episodes into the series, my beloved watched Frank Underwood rowing in the basement of his DC townhouse and said, “I want one of those.” (He wasn’t alone.) The object of his desire was a wooden water rower made in RhodeContinue reading “Habits and House of Cards: How to bring thinking about habits into a New Year”
Learning • Technology • Design Conference Session – February 1, 2018
I’m absolutely thrilled to be presenting a session in the Learning • Technology • Design™ (LTD) virtual conference from February 1-23, 2018. The Washington Nonprofits learning team took away some great ideas last year from this conference. I hope you’ll consider joining it this year. Here’s information about my session: CHUNK FLIP GUIDE LAUGH: CREATING LEARNINGContinue reading “Learning • Technology • Design Conference Session – February 1, 2018”
Learning ≠ Doing
If you want people to be more financially literate, you invest in financial literacy education, right? So think governments, businesses, and nonprofits worldwide. They spend billions of dollars on financial literacy to improve budgeting, reduce credit card debt, and increase retirement savings. Financial literacy is now a required part of Washington State curriculum. The resultContinue reading “Learning ≠ Doing”
Ask Nancy: Audience Engagement
I got an email this week that asked for my thoughts on audience engagement. I’m sharing a version of the exchange with you because engaged people are important when it comes to successful learning events. It’s no fun teaching unengaged participants. It’s no fun being an unengaged participant. Let’s see if we can turn thisContinue reading “Ask Nancy: Audience Engagement”
Our Learning Pledge
“What’s the ‘big idea’ for our conference?” Jim asked. “That kids need to be more engaged… actively involved in learning activities.” “And how are we starting?” “With your 90 minute keynote speech…” -Opening page of 17,000 Classroom Visits Can’t Be Wrong by John Antonetti and James Garver Last year, I attended a webinar on micro-learning…Continue reading “Our Learning Pledge”
Emotions in Learning: Ok, but how do I do that?
A few months ago, I presented to nonprofit colleagues about learning and the power of emotions. One said, “Okay, I get it. Emotions are important in learning. But how do we do that? It seems weird to overly emote in the middle of a training?” True. Don’t start howling in the middle of a training.Continue reading “Emotions in Learning: Ok, but how do I do that?”
How to move people to action
A well designed conference is awesome, in the original sense of the word. It inspires an overwhelming feeling of reverence. I spent last Tuesday at the Closing the Hunger Gap conference in Tacoma, Washington. I found it exhilarating to be among so many people from across the country working with such focus on addressing institutional racism inContinue reading “How to move people to action”
Strategic Learning: Don’t leave action to chance
We offer learning events to provide opportunities for people to get what they need to be more effective. Sometimes this goal is achieved, but often the transfer of learning into action is left to chance. A learning strategy connects the change that we are trying to make in the world — our larger organizational strategy — with activities mostContinue reading “Strategic Learning: Don’t leave action to chance”
3 Ways to Break the Nonprofit Scarcity Trap (Part 2)
It is not hard to slip into a scarcity mindset this time of year. The world can seem flat when we get tired. (Luckily Memorial Day Weekend is right around the corner!) Which brings us to Part 2 of our conversation about the scarcity trap. I wrote last week about the research on how poorContinue reading “3 Ways to Break the Nonprofit Scarcity Trap (Part 2)”
